Social networking sites go offline to extend reach, promote charity

Sukanto Mukherjee, ET BureauApr 17, 2010, 03.23am IST

KOLKATA: For top social networking companies such as Twitter and Facebook, internet is not the only medium to build communities. As these networking sites attempt to build sustainable business models based on user participation, they are realising that offline events are a good way to enhance their reach in India.

For instance, global Twestivals are organised across the world every year and are community-driven initiatives to raise money for charity. This year, the second global Twestival was held on March 25 across over 175 cities. The money raised from all Twestivals went to Concern Worldwide—an Irish charity working on relief and development in underdeveloped economies. Indian cities on the Twestival map included Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai and Kochi.

"The Twestivals are a mix of cultural events, brainstorming sessions, contests and many other activities," said Vaijayanthi KM, regional coordinator for the Twestivals in India.

So, while the Delhi, Kolkata and Kochi Twestivals had performances by rock bands and DJs, the Bangalore Twestival had a corporate cricket league, which featured teams from SAP and Tech Mahindra.

And Twitter is not the only online platform leveraging off-the-web events.

Facebook is gradually becoming a top choice for corporates such as Mahindra Group seeking to raise funds for social work. The Mahindras' non-profit arm—KC Mahindra Education Trust— has created as many as three Facebook pages for their flagship project—Nanhi kali (managed jointly with the Naandi Foundation)— to promote girls' education. The Facebook forums of the organisation have roughly 10,000 members worldwide, who organise cultural events in places like Boston and Omaha for Nanhi kali. Says Sheetal Mehta, CSR head at Mahindra Group and executive director of KC Mahindra Education Trust: "We have raised more funds after the Facebook pages were created. Last year, our online donations went up 48% to Rs 43 lakh."

Says Kamanashish Roy, one of the organisers of the Kolkata Twestival: "Besides raising awareness for social causes, the objective of the Twestival is to get cities like Kolkata noticed more on the social networking map." The Delhi and Mumbai Twestivals also witnessed participation from corporates like MakeMyTrip, Intel, HP and Tata DoCoMo. MakeMyTrip even donated a real-time Twitter-wall, along with Bluetooth-enabled printer and netbooks with USB Internet modems. Overall, the Twestivals across India raised roughly Rs 3 lakh. Globally, the figure stands at $3.47 lakh, which were donated to Concern Worldwide.

On the other hand, there is the Fledgling Project—a three-way initiative between Twitter, Crushpad (a San Fransisco-based custom winery) and Room to Read (an NGO working on education in Asia and Africa)— announced in October 2009. The project involves social winemaking where Twitter staff will participate in making a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay with Crushpad. The public will be invited to pre-purchase bottles of the wine, follow its progress on Twitter and, at some stages, have a chance to participate in its creation. $5 from every bottle sold will go directly to Room to Read to support and enable literacy programs in some of the poorest regions of the world.